PRESS RELEASE

Merkel Not Going Along with Poroshenko

March 16, 2015 (EIRNS)—The Ukrainian President was not successful during his talks with the German Chancellor in Berlin this afternoon, as far as weapons deliveries and new Russia sanctions were concerned. Merkel told Poroshenko that his call for a boycott of the soccer world championship in Russia did not have her support, since everybody should first concentrate on the championship in France next year. She is not supportive of new sanctions either, she told Poroshenko, because in her view everybody should now rather concentrate on implementing the Minsk II formula, and the existing sanctions are continuously monitored along with the development of the situation. Weapons for Ukraine will not contribute to the Minsk II process. Poroshenko at least conceded that the ceasefire is holding as far as heavy weapons are concerned, but added there are daily minor skirmishes from the side of the "separatists" which violate Minsk II. Merkel will also keep her commitment to visit Putin on May 10—which the Kiev regime objects to.

Whereas all of that saw Merkel on the Steinmeier line, as far as Ukraine and the need for dialogue with Russia was concerned, her insisting on "continuation of the reforms" in Ukraine saw her on the International Monetary Fund/European Central Bank line of monetarist economics. Poroshenko, apparently eager to extract some money from Germany—not now but maybe later on—promised to continue with the economic "reforms" and the "fight against corruption." As for the latter aspects, it remains to be seen whether Poroshenko, an oligarch himself, will really move against the other oligarchs. Moreover, he should move against the neo-Nazis in the regime and the army—none of that was ever mentioned in Berlin though, today.